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The Evolution of Communication, from Email, Bulletin Boards, Forums, Instant Messaging, to cellphone SMS texting, video chat, Facetime, and Facebook Messenger
Communication Revolution at a Glance…
Do you ever sit down and wonder about how communication has changed over the years? I do, because I did send a letter through courier services, used a computer for years as a communication device and now I use my mobile phone for all communication needs. I always think that I’m lucky that I was born during the computer era. My grandparents would be shocked to walk out of their grave and see how we communicate today.
How did they even live without computers? It must have been a boring world and no wonder television and radio were the communication bosses of the time. By the time I joined junior school, I had a computer thanks to my parent openness to new technology. They said they never wanted their kids to live a dull life just like theirs. They never knew I would become a computer addict and sometimes never leave my room for the entire weekend.
There was a time when it was a privilege to use mercury Messenger. It was a preserve of those who were rich. But 10 years down the line, communication has changed. Even the remotest areas around the world now use mobile phones to communicate. But that was before computers took their charge as daily communication tools that everyone wanted to have. It seems that nothing lasts since computers have paved way for mobile technology and who knows what’s coming next.
Quite a few years ago, we learned that Mercury was once a Java-based MSN client, so it was like MSN messenger for instant messaging (IM), but with some extra features. It’s basic IM functions were talking to friends, showing your name or nickname and status, showing a picture of yourself (avatar picture), sending files to each other, showing Away messages, being auto-away when idle, and so on. It could play some games, watch webcams of your friends, receive and send winks, play songs using winamp. It also had various versions in multiple languages.
I have published interesting stories about Instant Messaging (IM). You can access them by clicking through the topics that are posted above. I will be adding more content in future so don’t fail to visit this site again.
When Computers were the ‘Communication King‘
Prior to the mobile technology, computer was all we could talk about. It made someone look informed and ‘cool’. I got my first computer on my 15th birthday and I became a star in the entire neighborhood. I knew now I would communicate to anyone I wanted right from my tiny room. I used to envy those kids in school who told me about how they used to send messages to friends and families abroad from their bedroom. Now it was my turn to boast to others who never had computers.
My first obsession was sending emails. The first one went to my aunt who lives in Europe and it was so touching when she responded and said she was visiting us during the summer. She sent me two lovely pictures of my cousins and I showed them to my parents who were impressed with my progress in my learning around computers. But that was the only beginning of a thrilling story.
One day at school my friends were talking of how they used their computers to capture their photos. I did not mind sounding ignorant so I asked how that was possible. They laughed but were kind enough to tell me about the webcam. The next day I had pictures of me and my family in the computer. I did send some to my aunt who had requested me to send her some family pictures. One of the things I remember vividly is when I sued to customize Avatar profile pictures to look like me but I was not so lucky since somebody would always point out something I had missed.
I never imagined that anything would replace computer but that was just that. The mobile phone came and now I can go for weeks without touching my computer (I bought a laptop but still I do keep the desktop that my parents bought me).
Mobile Gadgets Took Over
Everyone now is crazy with mobile phones. The other day I was at the train station and there were many people waiting to catch the morning train to the city. I couldn’t help to notice that everyone was on their phone chatting, listening to music or browsing their favorite topics. I never let go my cellphone; I carry it everywhere I go even to the toilet I want to read that instant message someone has send me.
It is true that sometimes I never find time to spend with people but would rather spend hours on social networks socializing or shopping. When I go to bed, I spent roughly an hour seeing what is happening around the world. And when I get up, the phone is the first thing in my hand to check on what happened on the internet.
If anybody thought that mobile gadgets are going away anytime soon then you should think again. I do not see a future of communication without the mobile gadgets. Yes, they will get small but they will always define the next turn of communication technology.
